Cost of Magic
by ElvishNutcase
Summary: Lord Voldemort has a plan and Hermione's going to help him whether she likes it or not.


"_Hermione Granger!" A voice boomed as the blindfold was removed from her eyes. Hermione blinked as she looked around her. She was rather liberally chained to the chair. No amount of magic in the world would release her from that chair. Theoretically anyway. Hermione knew she could, but she already had a plan up her sleeve and it didn't involve fighting her way through a hundred death eaters. _

_She blinked her eyes at the sudden onslaught of light. Her eyes took in everyone there. She could see Percy Weasley seated beside the Minister of Magic ready to take notes. Harry Potter was seated six seats down from him, with Ron by his side. Both were immaculately dressed. Ron refused to meet her eyes, and looked angry. Harry was torn between sadness and anger. Neither understood the circumstances. Hermione did not blame them, nor did she expect them to. _

"_You have been charged, Hermione Granegr, with the murders of sixteen student-" The Minister started before being interrupted by Hermione._

"_By association." She said coolly. "I would never lower myself to murdering children. Especially one's I grew up with."_

"_Yet you despised a few that were murdered. Draco Malfoy for example." Martisse answered sternly peering at the young witch. _

"_While it is true that I did not like Draco," Hermione replied unruffled, "I did not wish him dead."_

"_How do you feel about their deaths?" _

"_Indifferent."_

_Gasps rose as quills scurried over parchment. Hermione shot a glance towards Ron. He was looking furiously at the spot beside her chair._

_Hypocritical prick! She thought to herself. She knew for a fact that he was not the least bit perturbed by Malfoy's death. She knew of his and Harry's argument over the matter._

"_With all due respect," A young woman whom Hermione did not recognize spoke up from the second row, "was she not by the dark lord's side when he gave the order?"_

"_Indeed." Martisse mused as he stared at the witch bound to the chair. She did not look the least bit afraid, he noted with surprise. "Does she have the dark mark?"_

"_You know I do not." Hermione cut in sharply. "My entire body has been bereft of charms and spells that may have been used to cover such a mark. I do not, nor have I ever, carried the dark mark."_

"_Were you at the Dark Lord's side when he gave the orders?"_

"_No sir, I was standing behind him." Hermione answered, using technicalities of where she was standing. _

"_So you were there, did you make an attempt to rescue your fellow students?"_

"_No, sir. I did not."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because sir, one does not negotiate with Dark Lords. My position was precarious enough as it is."_

"_What position did you hold?"_

_Hermione paused thoughtfully as she thought about what position she had played. "I was at first his prisoner, then his master researcher, and finally the leader of his troops." She stated quietly._

"_Yet you do not bear the Dark Mark?" Martisse did not look as if he quite believed her._

"_No sir."_

"_SHE LIES!" A cry rose from farther up the aisle. "She would have to have had one to lead the death eaters!_

"_Have you sworn under veritaseerum?_

"_Yes sir, I have. I do believe you have a pensieve if you wish to review them."_

_Martisse appeared to have decided to go on another vein of thought. "What did you think of the dark lord?"_

"_Truthfully?" Hermione asked staring up at the minister. He nodded, meeting her eyes. She still did not appear too terribly worried. "Very well. I thought he was a stuck-up, hypocritical, self-important, moronic prick." _

_A pin could've been dropped; the audience chamber was so still. Lord Voldemort had been called many things, but never that. Especially by someone who was supposedly allied with him. _

"_That's….Unexpected." Martisse said shoving his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Do you wish to add anything?"_

"_No sir."_

"_Very well." Martisse picked up another piece of parchment and perused it before laying it down and looking back at Hermione. "Why did you murder Ginny?" _

"_Who said I murdered her?" Hermione asked with a puzzled frown. She wasn't puzzled because she hadn't killed Ginny, she had with great pleasure done exactly that, no she was puzzled because she wasn't aware any had known of that. _

"_This file does. Am I to understand that you did not murder her?" Martisse asked, while glancing between the parchment and her._

"_Not at all, I was just wondering how you came upon that since I was under the impression I'd hidden the fact quite well." Hermione answered calmly. Had her hands not been bound, Martisse suspected that she would have likely leaned forward and pulled a Dumbledore with her fingertips._

"_Muggles found her body." He said easily, "But that is not the point. Why did you kill her?"_

"_Mutual hatred." Harry frowned at that pronouncement. What had bothered him about his best friend murdering his girlfriend was that he'd thought they were friends. "We both loved Harry, Ginny was a little more violent towards me about it." She smiled thinly. "As you can see, I got the final curse in. It wasn't nearly enough to make up for the verbal abuse, nor the hexes thrown at me when no one was looking, but it helped."_

"_Thank you." He turned around to look at the rest of the wizengamot. "Anyone else have anything to add?"_

_Headmistress McGonagall rose to her feet. "I would like to say before you administer justice, that Hermione Jane Granger has been expelled from Hogwarts." She sat down again. Silence reigned before the minister turned forward in his seat. _

"_Very well. I shall now pass judgment." He rose to his feet. "Hermione Jane Granger, because of your actions, I, Minister Michael Martisse, condemn you to the Dementor's kiss, to take place next Thursday at eight O'clock. All in favor?"_

_A resounding clap was taken up, only a few did not. Harry Potter was one of those few. Ronald Weasley was not. He noted that Hermione's expression had not changed one bit. _

_The chains retracted from her arms and she stood, stretching as two dementors glided over. Her eyes once more roved over the crowd of standing and now chattering wizards present. She was searching for one in particular._

_Warm brown eyes met hers. He smiled at her, and she gave an almost imperceptible nod back to him. The wizarding world wouldn't know what'd hit them by the time she was through._

**I know. I know, it's short. It's a prologue, Sue me. Did you like? **


End file.
